Well, sorry I haven't had any updates yet. I've basically been waiting on various quotes on finishing, and other, for what seems like forever. I'm almost to the point where I want to just learn how to finish them myself.

I'm still messing around with various vent styles and sizes. Most people seem to like the offset rectangle style vent. One of my brothers doesn't, but he's been the minority so far. I've been toying with the idea of doing a grid rectangle style (shown below).

Last edited by jamese on Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:13 am, edited 3 times in total.

I'm still messing around with various vent styles and sizes. Most people seem to like the offset rectangle style vent. One of my brothers doesn't, but he's been the minority so far. I've been toying with the idea of doing a grid rectangle style (shown below).

Offset looks much better to me. You could always simply go with some nice holes so people could use the grills of their choice - or no grills for us silence enthusiasts. Chopping out grills is one of the things I do first when I get a new case.

@Mankey, For a single big cut out what do you prefer - a perfect circle, or a square with rounded corners (below)? I could only fit a full perfect circle if it follows the diameter of the fan blades more than the body of the fan. The rectangle vents above have a free area of approx 67%, but are purposefully a little narrow. Just increasing the rectangle size slightly can bring it up to 84%.

I also came across this site which supplies powder coating powders. Thought it was interesting to see all the different types, and they have a gallery: http://www.prismaticpowders.com

@Mankey, For a single big cut out what do you prefer - a perfect circle, or a square with rounded corners (below)?

Don't try to please everyone - but if cutting it in a square with rounded corners allows better airflow - my vote is for that. You're in a unique position of not only having a very small case, but a very high performing one as well - The aesthetics are simple and understated - almost utilitarian (very attractive to me) - I think that having open fan mounts would honor what you've started, placing function and performance first over other factors.

If others feel strongly about having good looking fan grills, perhaps you could sell them separately, and they could screw in like normal fan grills using the mounting holes. They'd match the fit and finish of the case and that would satisfy that group of people.

I'm just thinking out loud - I want the most simple case possible, with the highest performance and airflow Others may feel differently - I'm just 1 person

I'll reiterate it just in case (no pun intended), but if the design could allow for the silicon grommets you get with many fans, that would be a nice to have. On a case this small, it may be fairly challenging though so no worries; I don't think it makes a huge difference and can ruin the external aesthetics, especially for Noctua fans

:) Don't try to please everyone - but if cutting it in a square with rounded corners allows better airflow - my vote is for that. You're in a unique position of not only having a very small case, but a very high performing one as well - The aesthetics are simple and understated - almost utilitarian (very attractive to me) - I think that having open fan mounts would honor what you've started, placing function and performance first over other factors.

If others feel strongly about having good looking fan grills, perhaps you could sell them separately, and they could screw in like normal fan grills using the mounting holes. They'd match the fit and finish of the case and that would satisfy that group of people.

I'm just thinking out loud - I want the most simple case possible, with the highest performance and airflow Others may feel differently - I'm just 1 person

I appreciate you thinking out loud! Glad it's not just me posting here I could potentially offer a version with simple big vent cut outs. Probably not the first style I'll offer, but I think we're on the same page. I could make a one off version however you like, but it wouldn't be cheap.

Here's a couple big cut outs. The circle cut out would be too small for circular wire grilles that aren't flat.

Last edited by jamese on Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:14 am, edited 3 times in total.

I'll reiterate it just in case (no pun intended), but if the design could allow for the silicon grommets you get with many fans, that would be a nice to have. On a case this small, it may be fairly challenging though so no worries; I don't think it makes a huge difference and can ruin the external aesthetics, especially for Noctua fans

It is possible to use silicon/rubber fan mounts, and access the fan holes from the left and right side of the case. Worst case scenario, you may have to use needle nose pliers if your fingers cant grab hold the end of the silicon fan mount.

Last edited by jamese on Fri Aug 09, 2013 6:10 pm, edited 2 times in total.

personally id like the whole top covered in the offset rectangular mesh, with no solid section. if you go with cutouts, id prefer the holes be evenly spaced across the top, instead of shifted to the rear. - with the blank space(s) either in the middle or on each end.

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@xan_user, Thank you for the suggestions and ideas. I don't know that I can do the whole top covered in mesh, but here's a larger vent, which I'm leaning towards at the moment. Let me know what you guys think? I have to try to bridge the gap between those who like smaller vents, and those who like the larger vents for best airflow possible!

@Mankey, Haha... glad you like the huge cut outs! Maybe I could offer just the "body" piece of the case separately to make it more affordable to produce and buy different vents?

Last edited by jamese on Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:14 am, edited 4 times in total.

- is there enough room to fit a standard tv tuner card? - And if it is, does the card get enough ventilation because they do tend to get warm?

- if i fit in a bigger card, how much intake area for cool air will be left? - Might opt for a small dust filtered (please include them for the bottom cut out too, might be an option though) ventilation area at the bottom region of the side panel.

-Ventilation concept: I think to get started you should try and find out how much airflow 2 silent 80mm fans will produce on average and where the air should enter your case to achieve maximum airflow and cooling at minimum noise. Thinking of some OCed i7/Xeon non-gaming power rig, as fast as my pico/power brick will allow. This might not meet your original concept, but i bet some of us would like the power of a beast inside a small, almost inaudible little case.

- is there enough room to fit a standard tv tuner card? - And if it is, does the card get enough ventilation because they do tend to get warm?

Yes to both questions. If it follows the PCI Express specification (low profile), you're good to go. As far as I know, the only thing that seems to break from the specification is GPU cards with dual slot/oversize coolers. The intake vents are on the bottom, right next to the card, so this should provide optimum cooling.

Pappnaas wrote:

- if i fit in a bigger card, how much intake area for cool air will be left? - Might opt for a small dust filtered (please include them for the bottom cut out too, might be an option though) ventilation area at the bottom region of the side panel.

There's 19.5mm of clearance from the top PCB surface of the PCI card to the case.

Pappnaas wrote:

-Ventilation concept: I think to get started you should try and find out how much airflow 2 silent 80mm fans will produce on average and where the air should enter your case to achieve maximum airflow and cooling at minimum noise. Thinking of some OCed i7/Xeon non-gaming power rig, as fast as my pico/power brick will allow. This might not meet your original concept, but i bet some of us would like the power of a beast inside a small, almost inaudible little case.

Thanks for your comments. You should definitely be able to build a powerful, and fairly silent system with this case. My setup is running with a 60W power brick. I use it for CAD work, and web development.

Last edited by jamese on Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

I think I'll go with something like this for holes on the back - one or two for DC jack, and one for mini-din. My only concern is having an empty/unused hole (potentially) near the fans that air could bypassed through.

Now I just need to decide between powder coat, and anodizing, and get some stock. Hopefully by the middle of July I'll have some for purchase. Is there any demand for powder coat white?

Finalized back:Finalized bottom intake:Inside:

Last edited by jamese on Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:17 am, edited 3 times in total.

Brief aside on anodizing, if it's still relevant: anodization is just running a bunch of electricity through aluminum immersed in dilute sulfuric acid. Equipment and operating costs are quite low, and it doesn't take much skill to produce excellent finishes.

The biggest problem/expense is usually the power supply, but if you're willing to do one part at a time (IIRC, the reaction takes <20 min), you could probably make a suitable one using a pair of 500W ATX PSU's, a heavy-duty rheostat, and a multimeter.

@Irrelevant - Hey, thanks for the info! I am interested in being able to do some finishing myself. I think I'd enjoy it. Just have to find some free time to give it a try. That guys starter kit and guide looks like a nice way to get started.

I'll be using a professional finishing service, at least initially. That way I can get some of these into peoples hands sooner. Currently, I'm planning on first trying powder coat, and then maybe try anodizing depending on how the powder coat works out.

Pricing will be $95 CAD (about $90 USD right now) for both the black and white powder coat versions. For being made in Canada, and in small quantities, I'm pretty happy with that. Not sure how others will feel though!? I'm hoping to be able to offer some kind of special, for those like you, who've been following the progress.

Last edited by jamese on Tue Jul 09, 2013 3:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Pricing will be $95 CAD (about $90 USD right now) for both the black and white powder coat versions. For being made in Canada, and in small quantities, I'm pretty happy with that. Not sure how others will feel though!? I'm hoping to be able to offer some kind of special, for those like you, who've been following the progress.

I think it's totally fair. Going prices for metal constructed ITX cases are ~ 60 bucks. Their ventilation is terrible, and their fit and finish can be very questionable. I think that if someone were able to provide a head to head comparison against another ITX case in terms of thermals, it could really justify the slight price difference. Who knows, maybe SCPR could review it

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